The defendants are therefore accused of being responsible for the death of a grocer who was shot by police during a bloody crackdown on protests against Hasina's government on July 19. Among the defendants are Hasina's former housing minister and the general secretary of her Awami League party. The legal proceedings also target four senior police officers appointed by Hasina's government who have since vacated their posts. According to the Daily Star newspaper, the plaintiffs are residents of the neighborhood where the grocer was shot.

More than 450 people have been killed in violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces during mass protests that have lasted more than a month. Hasina, 76, fled on August 5 after 15 years in power. Her government has been accused of human rights violations including the unlawful imprisonment and killing of opposition figures.

The army then proclaimed a transitional government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who now lives in exile. He called on the people to make a peaceful new beginning. During the protests, several shops and homes belonging to Bangladesh's Hindu minority, widely seen as Hasina supporters, were attacked.

According to Indian border guards, many Hindus from Bangladesh are trying to enter the neighboring country. Several hundred people are stuck in no-man's land on the border hoping to reach India, border guards said. Some refugees from Bangladesh were arrested for trying to cross the border illegally.

Shortly after returning to Bangladesh in the first week of August, the 84-year-old Yunus, known worldwide for providing micro-loans to small entrepreneurs in an effort to combat poverty, announced that elections would be held in Bangladesh in a few months. The military’s future role remains unclear.